Heartbeat, Rise and Fall
by katie janeway
Summary: Title taken from the middle chapter. Three oneshots detailing less than 24 hours in the life of Amon and Robin. Didn't seem to fit in the Candles collection.
1. A Moment's Comfort

_**A Moment's Comfort**_

_**Witch Hunter Robin is the property of Sunrise and Bandai.**_

He didn't know what possessed him that night, what had led him to pull the sleeping Robin against him. Perhaps it had been the way her thin frame visibly shivered in the chill of the apartment. However, he could have simply covered her with the blanket Robin insisted on leaving in the living room for such purposes. Perhaps it was simply that he knew, somehow, instinctively, that Robin always seemed more comfortable when she was closer to him, be it by merely closing a gap of inches or a much wider one caused by their personalities.

He wasn't sure why he did it, but once he had pulled her to him, he couldn't consider letting her go. One arm wrapped around her tightly, the other resting lightly on the cushion beside him. He simply leaned back against the sofa, feeling Robin's heart beating, hearing her slight inhalations, and noting the slight tickling sensation whenever she shifted slightly against him. As the time passed, he found himself becoming drowsy.

Rather than disturb his sleeping ward by moving, he leaned his head against the sofa's back. The drowsier he grew, the lower his head dipped. Finally, his chip dipped until it touched Robin's own head. It was a strange sensation, this lazy comfort he felt as his eyes closed. He didn't take time to ponder it as he lost his grip on consciousness entirely, unconsciously pulling Robin even closer to him as he did so.


	2. Heartbeat, Rise and Fall

_**Heartbeat, Rise and Fall**_

_A/N: Title explanation - Have you ever noticed that the first thing you notice when you wake up against someone else is either their heartbeat or the rise and fall of their chest? And how the two melt together, sort of, to form their own little rhythm? That's where the title comes from.  
_  
She fell asleep against him without realizing it, and he apparently had not pushed her away. This was the first thing Robin noticed when she woke up to find her face pressed against something that sounded as if a drum were inside. Something with buttons and black fabric. She started slightly, attempting to push herself up, but was trapped by an arm.

Robin began to apologize, but it died on her lips when she noticed that Amon was also asleep. She took a moment to study him. He breathed lightly; his eyes moved beneath the lids. His lips were parted slightly, and his head was tilted as though his chin had rested atop her crown before she moved.

She reached to move his arm from her, trembling slightly, at the fear of waking him. Surely Amon hadn't meant to pull her closer, and to fall asleep as well. He had simply fallen victim to the exhaustion that had overcome them both of late, and fallen asleep before he could successfully push her away. Hadn't he?

Robin hesitated, her breath catching in her throat. For a moment, she put her head back against his chest, feeling the softness of the fabric against her cheek, hearing his heartbeat, noting how her vision rose and fell slightly as his chest moved. It would be easy to fall asleep again this way...but she couldn't. Slowly, feeling the coolness seeping into her as she pulled away from the heat Amon's body provided, Robin extricated herself. She rose from the sofa and padded to her room, to fall asleep there.

Hours later, Amon's eyes flickered open and he woke to find his ward no longer slumped against him. Disappointment flashed before he schooled his features to their usual state, rose, and went to his own room for the rest of the night.


	3. Morning After

_**Morning After**_

The morning after, neither spoke to each other. Amon ate his eggs in silence, while Robin absentmindedly stirred berries into her oatmeal. She kept sneaking glances at him from the corner of her eye.

He was wearing a shirt very similar to yesterday's…Her cheeks flushed lightly as she remembered how smooth the fabric had been. Her fingers itched to touch this shirt, to see if it felt the same…to feel his chest rise and fall beneath her hand...She bowed her head over her oatmeal and began to eat, faster than usual, so that she could leave. It was uncomfortable, more so than usual, to be around him now.

When Robin's head went down, Amon's head went up, slightly. He surveyed the girl across from him, noting the faint blush still evident on her cheeks and her quick pace.

"Robin. Slow down. I would rather avoid being forced to resuscitate you after you've choked on oatmeal."

She startled a bit, though Amon noticed it was no longer quite the reaction he used to get whenever he broke a silence between them. She briefly met his gaze, then returned to her food. He noted that she had listened.

Robin relaxed slightly as the meal continued. Amon had noticed nothing last night. She was sure that if he had…well, she wasn't certain what his reaction would be, but he hadn't sounded any different. She managed to meet his gaze again when she stood to clear away her dishes. But she looked away immediately afterward, still finding it difficult, somehow, to meet his gaze head on now. Even if he didn't know...

Because she had turned…Robin didn't notice as Amon's fingers twitched when she absentmindedly tucked a stray piece of hair back once the dishes were in the sink. Or that he smiled slightly to himself as the girl left the room, as a fleeting memory of hair tickling his chin crossed his mind…


End file.
